KUCHING: The Sarawak Social Wellbeing Index (SSWI) Research 2023 will cover all forty-five districts in the state.
Minister for Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development (KPWK) Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said the research will provide valid and reliable findings on social wellbeing at the state, divisional and district levels.
She noted that the previous research done in 2019 was only carried out in 24 districts, representing the urban and rural area.
She said the reliability of the findings in 2019 was only at the state and divisional levels.
Meanwhile, she said the parameters of SSWI 2023 are based on the State Social Transformation Framework.
“This consists of 10 pillars, 25 social domains and 79 sub domains.
“The 10 pillars are Family Institution; Capacity Building; Social Harmony; Health and Social Protection; Social Responsibility; Housing; Environmental Security; Public Safety; Social Space and Infrastructure; and Good Governance and Practice,” she said.
Fatimah said this prior to the signing of memorandum of agreement (MoA) between the Ministry and Swinburne Sarawak Sdn Bhd for the Sarawak Social Wellbeing Index (SSWI) 2023 Research at a hotel here, today (Aug 21).
She said the research which commenced on July 1 this year would take about nine months and was expected to be completed on March 31, 2024.
“Through the strategic collaboration of research groups from Swinburne Sarawak, University of Technology Sarawak (UTS) and Curtin University Malaysia, I believe the Sarawak Social Development Council (MPS) will be able to identify domains that can influence social well-being at the state, division and district levels in Sarawak,” she said.
Meanwhile, Swinburne Sarawak Pro Vice Chancellor and chief executive officer Professor Lau Hieng Ho said the university is honoured to be entrusted by the Sarawak government through consortium comprising Swinburne, UTS and Curtin University to carry out the research.
Lau said discussions have been held since March with the two partners to carry out the project.
“As we can see, Sarawak is huge so it involves a huge logistic arrangement to send our researchers to every single district in which some areas could only be accessible through very difficult means of logistic arrangement.
“This research is also meant to upgrade our initiatives and help Sarawakians not only in terms of infrastructure but also wellbeing and many others as per the 10 pillars,” he said.
Signing on behalf of the Ministry was KPWK’s permanent secretary Noriah Ahmad while Lau signed on behalf of Swinburne Sarawak.
Also present were KPWK deputy ministers Datuk Rosey Yunus and Razi Sitam; Swinburne Sarawak Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor, (Research) Professor Ida Fatimawati Adi Badiozaman and MPS executive secretary Dr Zufar Yadi Brendan Abdullah.
